Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Baby pygmy marmoset is big toothbrush fan
Ninita the pygmy marmoset was born deaf, and subsequently hand-raised at the Rare Species Conservancy in Florida after she was abandoned by her parents. She's also a big fan of toothbrush massages.
YouTube link.
YouTube link.
Man chased into home by angry groundhog
The McGraths of Hampton, New Hampshire, are used to friendly critters stopping by their backyard, but a frenetic visit on Tuesday morning from their resident groundhog was anything but a welcomed encounter.
Gary McGrath was unloading his truck when the roughly two-foot-long groundhog came barrelling toward him. What started out as a comical sight quickly turned into a somewhat scary incident for the 65-year-old as he watched the plump animal running at a brisk jog in his direction.
“Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move, then it came running,” said McGrath. “I kicked it away, but then it got back up and came back at me again. I kicked it away again, and it came right back.” That’s when McGrath ran into his garage and shut the door, only to have the groundhog circle around to the other side of the garage and get in through a different open door. “He was out to get me,” said McGrath. “Fortunately he doesn’t run very fast, but neither do I. My first thought was, ‘He’s being awful friendly,’ when he came up to me the first time.
“He’s normally friendly. After he came after me again, I thought, ‘Wait, he wants something.’” The groundhog, which McGrath’s grandchildren enjoy looking for when they come to visit, then bared its teeth as it chased McGrath into his house. It didn’t stop there, as McGrath said it the animal began digging at the glass-and-metal door, furiously attempting to bite and claw its way inside. McGrath’s wife Carol suspects the groundhog was sick due to rabies. The animal was always docile when they encountered it previously, and Carol said she often enjoyed its presence because it would eat the weeds on their property.
“We were lucky,” she said of the “crazy” and “freaky” ordeal. “You’re just in a kind of disbelief when something like that happens.” The couple called Hampton Animal Control Officer Peter MacKinnon for help, watching in amazement as the groundhog continued to dig at the door and a corner of leaf-covered dirt next to the front stairs before MacKinnon arrived. The groundhog also tried to attack MacKinnon when he got out of his truck, forcing him to jump back into the vehicle and slam the door before the animal could get inside. MacKinnon used a rifle to kill the animal after he exited his vehicle, and the groundhog’s body will now be tested for rabies.
“Out of the corner of my eye I saw something move, then it came running,” said McGrath. “I kicked it away, but then it got back up and came back at me again. I kicked it away again, and it came right back.” That’s when McGrath ran into his garage and shut the door, only to have the groundhog circle around to the other side of the garage and get in through a different open door. “He was out to get me,” said McGrath. “Fortunately he doesn’t run very fast, but neither do I. My first thought was, ‘He’s being awful friendly,’ when he came up to me the first time.
“He’s normally friendly. After he came after me again, I thought, ‘Wait, he wants something.’” The groundhog, which McGrath’s grandchildren enjoy looking for when they come to visit, then bared its teeth as it chased McGrath into his house. It didn’t stop there, as McGrath said it the animal began digging at the glass-and-metal door, furiously attempting to bite and claw its way inside. McGrath’s wife Carol suspects the groundhog was sick due to rabies. The animal was always docile when they encountered it previously, and Carol said she often enjoyed its presence because it would eat the weeds on their property.
“We were lucky,” she said of the “crazy” and “freaky” ordeal. “You’re just in a kind of disbelief when something like that happens.” The couple called Hampton Animal Control Officer Peter MacKinnon for help, watching in amazement as the groundhog continued to dig at the door and a corner of leaf-covered dirt next to the front stairs before MacKinnon arrived. The groundhog also tried to attack MacKinnon when he got out of his truck, forcing him to jump back into the vehicle and slam the door before the animal could get inside. MacKinnon used a rifle to kill the animal after he exited his vehicle, and the groundhog’s body will now be tested for rabies.
Two people injured after flying manhole cover hit taxi
A New York taxi driver and his passenger were injured when the yellow cab was struck by a flying manhole cover early on Monday morning.
At around 6:30am, the manhole exploded at 44th Street and Lexington Avenue. Debris from the explosion crashed into a taxi.
The cover hit the bonnet of the taxi and shot through the windscreen.
Good Samaritan Bernard Vickers rushed to assist the injured people. “I just happened to look and saw what happened, and I immediately reacted,” Vickers said. After hearing a loud boom, Vickers saw the mangled taxi outside the Starbucks Coffee where he works. Without hesitation, Vickers jumped into action, and was first to free the driver.
“I ran outside to check on the cab’s passenger and driver. The driver’s window was down, so I helped him get out the window,” he said. Next, Vickers helped the passenger out. “He was scared, he was traumatised, and as he was climbing out the sunroof, he, like, rolled - so I just made sure he landed safely,” Vickers said.
YouTube link.
The driver and the passenger were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center and were treated for minor injuries. By Monday night, relatives at the driver’s home said he was out of the hospital. The manhole which exploded was a large, square grate in the middle of the road. It is thought a problem with an underground electrical cable may have caused the blast.
Good Samaritan Bernard Vickers rushed to assist the injured people. “I just happened to look and saw what happened, and I immediately reacted,” Vickers said. After hearing a loud boom, Vickers saw the mangled taxi outside the Starbucks Coffee where he works. Without hesitation, Vickers jumped into action, and was first to free the driver.
“I ran outside to check on the cab’s passenger and driver. The driver’s window was down, so I helped him get out the window,” he said. Next, Vickers helped the passenger out. “He was scared, he was traumatised, and as he was climbing out the sunroof, he, like, rolled - so I just made sure he landed safely,” Vickers said.
YouTube link.
The driver and the passenger were taken to Bellevue Hospital Center and were treated for minor injuries. By Monday night, relatives at the driver’s home said he was out of the hospital. The manhole which exploded was a large, square grate in the middle of the road. It is thought a problem with an underground electrical cable may have caused the blast.
Hunter shooting at dead deer shot second hunter
A man from Dutchess County, New York, hunting in Stormville injured a second hunter on Saturday after firing at a dead deer being hauled out of a wooded area, according to East Fishkill police.
The second hunter, also from Dutchess, had killed a deer and was using a cart to remove it from property on Stormville Mountain, owned by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said Kevin Keefe, chief of the East Fishkill Police Department.
The first hunter saw the deer moving, thought it was alive, fired and struck the first hunter in the hand and buttocks. The injured hunter was taken to Danbury Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The incident occurred at about 10:25am. One hunter was from Wappingers Falls, the other was from Beacon.
Keefe said East Fishkill police assisted the state Department of Environmental Conservation police, who have jurisdiction over the incident because the state regulates hunting. The regular deer and bear southern zone hunting seasons opened at sunrise last Saturday and runs through until Sunday, Dec. 7.
The second hunter, also from Dutchess, had killed a deer and was using a cart to remove it from property on Stormville Mountain, owned by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said Kevin Keefe, chief of the East Fishkill Police Department.
The first hunter saw the deer moving, thought it was alive, fired and struck the first hunter in the hand and buttocks. The injured hunter was taken to Danbury Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The incident occurred at about 10:25am. One hunter was from Wappingers Falls, the other was from Beacon.
Keefe said East Fishkill police assisted the state Department of Environmental Conservation police, who have jurisdiction over the incident because the state regulates hunting. The regular deer and bear southern zone hunting seasons opened at sunrise last Saturday and runs through until Sunday, Dec. 7.
Naked teenager broke into homes while his parent's house was destroyed by fire
A naked teenager from Maine who broke into two homes over the weekend while his parents' house was engulfed in flames has appeared in court.
Police said Logan Valle, 18, forced his way into the two homes in Falmouth, just north of Portland, while naked on a freezing cold night in order to steal keys to nearby parked cars. He was found hiding in the attic of one of the homes and arrested.
At around the same time of the break-ins, the town's fire department was called to the nearby home of Valle's parents. His parents were not at home at the time of the blaze, but the house was destroyed.
YouTube link.
Valle's car, which was parked at a local country club two miles away, was also set on fire but not destroyed. Valle made his first court appearance on Monday afternoon. Prosecutors asked for $10,000 bail, with restrictions, including not possessing alcohol or illegal drugs. Valle's sister said that her brother is a good kid.
Police said Logan Valle, 18, forced his way into the two homes in Falmouth, just north of Portland, while naked on a freezing cold night in order to steal keys to nearby parked cars. He was found hiding in the attic of one of the homes and arrested.
At around the same time of the break-ins, the town's fire department was called to the nearby home of Valle's parents. His parents were not at home at the time of the blaze, but the house was destroyed.
YouTube link.
Valle's car, which was parked at a local country club two miles away, was also set on fire but not destroyed. Valle made his first court appearance on Monday afternoon. Prosecutors asked for $10,000 bail, with restrictions, including not possessing alcohol or illegal drugs. Valle's sister said that her brother is a good kid.
Birds boozed-up on berries taken to avian drunk tank so they can sober up safely
Birds in Yukon, Canada, are getting tipsy on fermented berries, so Environment Yukon has set up an avian drunk tank where they can sober up safely.
With snow on the ground, birds are eating all they can before the colder weather ahead, and Bohemian waxwings love to eat mountain ash berries.
"What happens around this time of year is that after the frost, the berries will ferment and so the birds actually can get a little intoxicated from eating these berries and they do in fact get drunk," said Meghan Larivee with the animal health unit at Environment Yukon.
Tipsy birds have a harder time controlling their flight movements, and like people, their co-ordination under the influence is wonky. It can even be deadly. "So they're flying around but they're not as good at avoiding obstacles," Larivee said. "Hitting windows is not uncommon."
If you come across a little bird that is drunk or unconscious, Environment Yukon will take it and put it in a holding tank of sorts - a hamster cage, "so they can sober up until they are able to be released," said Larivee. If more care is required, like one bird last week, it goes to rehab at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. "We'll basically try to keep it nice and quiet, away from stress," said Yukon Wildlife Preserve curator Maria Hallock.
There's a news video here.
"What happens around this time of year is that after the frost, the berries will ferment and so the birds actually can get a little intoxicated from eating these berries and they do in fact get drunk," said Meghan Larivee with the animal health unit at Environment Yukon.
Tipsy birds have a harder time controlling their flight movements, and like people, their co-ordination under the influence is wonky. It can even be deadly. "So they're flying around but they're not as good at avoiding obstacles," Larivee said. "Hitting windows is not uncommon."
If you come across a little bird that is drunk or unconscious, Environment Yukon will take it and put it in a holding tank of sorts - a hamster cage, "so they can sober up until they are able to be released," said Larivee. If more care is required, like one bird last week, it goes to rehab at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. "We'll basically try to keep it nice and quiet, away from stress," said Yukon Wildlife Preserve curator Maria Hallock.
There's a news video here.
Suspected phone thief beaten to death by junior doctors had genitals cut off
An unidentified youth, accused of stealing a mobile phone, was beaten to death, allegedly by students of a medical college in Kolkata, India, who also cut off his private parts.
The youth was tied to a pillar in a hostel room of the Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital late Saturday night and was dead by the time he was taken to hospital on Sunday morning, police said.
His companion, who was also assaulted by “a group of 20-25″, was allowed to leave the building, police said. No arrest has been made so far. Two members of the college hostel staff have been detained for questioning. Police sources said the two men were stopped and searched by the students who found them carrying two mobile phones.
The students claimed the phones belonged to them. They took the two men to a room and assaulted them. Police sources said that the youth who died had injuries on his face, neck and chest. His private parts, they said, appeared to have been slit with a blade.
YouTube link.
“Sticks have been recovered from the place where the body was found. He was beaten with these sticks… medical college students are suspects,” a police officer said. Dhrubojyoti Dey, DC (ESD), said: “Two persons have been detained, we are waiting for the post-mortem report.” The police have formed a 7-member probe team.
His companion, who was also assaulted by “a group of 20-25″, was allowed to leave the building, police said. No arrest has been made so far. Two members of the college hostel staff have been detained for questioning. Police sources said the two men were stopped and searched by the students who found them carrying two mobile phones.
The students claimed the phones belonged to them. They took the two men to a room and assaulted them. Police sources said that the youth who died had injuries on his face, neck and chest. His private parts, they said, appeared to have been slit with a blade.
YouTube link.
“Sticks have been recovered from the place where the body was found. He was beaten with these sticks… medical college students are suspects,” a police officer said. Dhrubojyoti Dey, DC (ESD), said: “Two persons have been detained, we are waiting for the post-mortem report.” The police have formed a 7-member probe team.
Pool pursues phantom pooer
The Tokoroa Indoor Pools on the North Island of New Zealand have become a dumping ground of sorts and the community is on the look out for the culprit.
During the month of October the organisation dealt with eight separate incidences where faeces were found in the main pool.
And South Waikato District Council leisure services manager Heather Gaby believed it was no accident. "From time to time accidents happen however the increased frequency of this problem and the fact that it is occurring in the main pool suggests that it is no longer accidental."
If poo is found in the pool, swimmers are removed immediately and then it is cleared and treated with chemicals. The costs are "not significant" but Gaby said it was more about public inconvenience. "This is a totally unacceptable and selfish behaviour which could cause a serious health risk and is a massive inconvenience to all users."
Pool staff are handing out a notice to all pool users on arrival, between 3-6.30pm, which outlines the problem. "We are asking all users to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviour. Any offender will face serious consequences," she said. The council has also put on an additional staff member who will be on duty solely to patrol the main pool.
And South Waikato District Council leisure services manager Heather Gaby believed it was no accident. "From time to time accidents happen however the increased frequency of this problem and the fact that it is occurring in the main pool suggests that it is no longer accidental."
If poo is found in the pool, swimmers are removed immediately and then it is cleared and treated with chemicals. The costs are "not significant" but Gaby said it was more about public inconvenience. "This is a totally unacceptable and selfish behaviour which could cause a serious health risk and is a massive inconvenience to all users."
Pool staff are handing out a notice to all pool users on arrival, between 3-6.30pm, which outlines the problem. "We are asking all users to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviour. Any offender will face serious consequences," she said. The council has also put on an additional staff member who will be on duty solely to patrol the main pool.
Johnny Depp buys a bath in Norwich
Johnny Depp has purchased a bath from a bathroom shop in Norwich.
The actor is said to have bought an antique bathtub from Stiffkey Bathrooms, in Upper St Giles Street.
While Depp did not visit the shop in person, his new bath holds pride of position in the shop window - complete with a tag stating “SOLD - Mr J Depp, Los Angeles, USA”
YouTube link.
The French Bateau bath on ornate feet dates back to 1880 and had a price tag of £5,000. Dan Hide, who runs Stiffkey Bathrooms with business partner Marc Brown, said the bath would be shipped out to America soon.
The actor is said to have bought an antique bathtub from Stiffkey Bathrooms, in Upper St Giles Street.
While Depp did not visit the shop in person, his new bath holds pride of position in the shop window - complete with a tag stating “SOLD - Mr J Depp, Los Angeles, USA”
YouTube link.
The French Bateau bath on ornate feet dates back to 1880 and had a price tag of £5,000. Dan Hide, who runs Stiffkey Bathrooms with business partner Marc Brown, said the bath would be shipped out to America soon.
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